Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
As expected, 37-year old Adam Gase was hired by the Miami Dolphins as the 12th head coach in franchise history. Gase was the hottest coach on the market. He interviewed for the Giants' coaching vacancy of Friday.
For the Giants, this development doesn't change much. Gase was never a realistic possibility for them. Before he left the Giants facility on Friday, rumors were swirling about Miami taking him off the market before weekend's end. New York interviewed ex-Bill and Syracuse coach Doug Marrone, whose name is picking up steam around the organization, on Saturday. Marrone is only the second candidate the Giants have interviewed, with any NFL head coaching experience. Marrone had a 15-17 record in two seasons as the Buffalo Bills' coach. Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was 10-38 in three seasons at the helm of the St. Louis Rams.
The Giants don't seem to be in a rush to make a hire, and it's very possible that new candidates will emerge. Adam Schefter, of ESPN, is reporting that former Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith will interview with the team. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, and former Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith all remain in the mix, though the Giants have scheduled any of them for an interview. As of right now, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo remains the front-runner to succeed Tom Coughlin, and Coughlin himself, along with the Giants' long-time rival, may have a say in that matter.
Coughlin will reportedly meet with the Eagles about their coaching vacancy on Monday, and Paul Schwartz, of the New York Post, is reporting that multiple teams are interested in interviewing him.
While there's no question that Coughlin can still coach, it's hard to imagine the Eagles having serious interest in him. The franchise had it's greatest success under Andy Reid, who lasted for 14 seasons in Philadelphia. Coughlin is 70 and not likely to coach into his 80s. The Eagles are looking to hire somebody for the long haul, and it's very unlikely they'll choose Coughlin. It seems as though the Eagles are just trying to get under the Giants' skin on this one, and possibly on McAdoo, too. And it might be working.
It's no secret that the Giants love McAdoo and would do just about anything to keep him on as offensive coordinator. Outside of the Eagles and Giants, McAdoo isn't drawing much interest as a head coach, and you can't help but to wonder why that is.
Regardless of their motivation, the Eagles could for the Giants' hand on McAdoo if they offer him their head coaching position. If that were to happen, the Giants' only chance at keeping McAdoo, would be to make him their head coach instead.
Obviously, this is just speculation, and I wouldn't expect Giants owner John Mara to hand McAdoo, or anyone else, the head coaching job just to prevent the Eagles from stealing him. Then again, I wouldn't expect the Eagles to just give their coaching job away, just to stick it to the Giants. With that said, however, I'm having a hard time understanding why Coughlin and McAdoo are up for the Philadelphia job.
Stay tuned for more developments.
